Many different materials are used for packaging objects. Widely used packing materials include bubble-wrap, Styrofoam™, air bladders, paper boards, etc. A paperboard configuration that is often used for shipping and/or retail applications include corrugated paperboards that are durable and readily machinable. Another widely used paperboard configuration includes a honeycomb core sandwiched between two paper sheets. Typically, the honeycomb core makes these types of paperboards very stiff, and difficult to bend. Further, bending these types of paperboards typically causes at least one, if not both, of the outer paper sheets to tear and rip and/or an inability of the paperboard to maintain its original shape. Accordingly, these types of paperboards are generally ill-suited to conform to shapes and features, such as sharp edges and the like.
Typically, honeycomb core paper boards typically require pre-fabricated features specifically designed for a specific shape in order to accommodate the various shapes and features of products for which they are being used to protect. These pre-fabricated features include grooves, slits, cuts, channels, etc. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,469 describes a honeycomb protector having slits and channels to allow the panels to be foldable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,667 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,041 describe honeycomb protectors having crush slit scores and slits with crushed beveled surfaces, respectively, in order to allow the panels to be folded. Further, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0025404 describes a honeycomb protector having a V-shaped cut that permits folding of the protector. Although these pre-fabricated features permit honeycomb core protectors to be folded, they have several drawbacks. First, the various pre-fabricated features that allow the protectors to fold typically weaken the crush resistance of the honeycomb core. Further, the location of these features are pre-determined during manufacturing of the protector, and these features are specifically designed to allow the protector to only be folded in a specific manner to accommodate one particular shape.